South Asian Games shooting helps India pass century mark
India won two medals in shooting and six for taekwondo on Thursday as their medal tally surpassed 100.
India’s shooters continued their good form for the season at the South Asian Games, winning gold medals in the men’s 10m Air Rifle team as well as individual category.
In the men’s 10m Air Rifle team event, India’s trio of Yash Vardhan, Ankush Jadhav and Pankaj Kumar claimed the gold medal with a score of 1875.8. Kumar was the most consistent of the trio as he scored 627, while Vardan and Jadhav scored 625.9 and 622.9, showing great application throughout the day.
Pakistan finished second on the podium and claimed the silver medal, as their team of Latif Aqib, Adil Ghufran and Farid Zeeshan Ul Shakir managed a cumulative score of 1846.4. The bronze medal was claimed by the Bangladeshi team who finished with a total score of 1840.
In the 10m Air Rifle individual event, India’s shooters won two more medals. Pankaj Kumar bagged the gold with a score of 249.2, narrowly edging past countryman Ankush Jadhav who had to settle for a silver after scoring 248.7.
India’s other shooter Yash Vardhan missed out on the podium as his score of 185.7 only got him a fifth-placed finish. Bangladesh’s Abdullah Hel Baki won the bronze medal in Kathmandu with a score of 228.
India win six taekwondo medals at the South Asian Games
India’s taekwondo participants won a medal in every category on Thursday, with three golds and two silvers to their name.
Margaret Maria, Ruchika Bhave, and Purva Dattatreya Dixit won gold medals in the women’s 73kg, 67kg and 49kg category respectively. Neeraj Choudhary and Akshay Hooda won silver in the men’s 58kg and 87kg category, as India augmented their total medal tally to over a 100 for the 2019 South Asian Games.
India also won 14 medals for Wushu on the day, with the likes of Uchit Singh, Ravi Panchal and Suraj Yadav claiming gold.
India’ swimmers also had a fruitful day at the South Asian Games as they added 11 medals on Thursday, including four golds. Apeksha Fernandes and Divya Satija won top prize in the 200m Breast Stroke and 100m Butterfly categories respectively. Promising youngster Kushagra Rawat continued to impress at the South Asian Games, winning silver at the 200m Freestyle category. India’s swimmers also claimed gold in the men’s and women’s Freestyle races.
The Indian contingent amassed an astounding 52 medals on Thursday which included 26 golds, as they went past hosts Nepal for the overall medal count by the end of the day.